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Southern Hemisphere War
The Southern Hemisphere War, also known as the Zardic War was a conflict in the South of the continent of Dovani and on the continent of Majatra, with some fighting on the continent of Temania as well. The war began in 3343, with an Indralan surprise attack on the Zardic fleet stationed in Skara Brae, Saqueya, immediately followed by an invasion of the Federated States of Dovani by Indrala. Initially a colonial war between Indrala and Zardugal, the war became a larger conflict with the involvement of Luthori and Dorvik on the side of Zardugal, and of Kalopia, Vorona, and Beiteynu on the side of Indrala. The focus of the war shifted from the conflict between Indrala and Zardugal when Jelbania and Telamon declared war on and invaded Zardugal. Several paramilitary organizations from around Terra also joined the conflict. The war ended after lengthy negotiations with the Treaty of Port Tackstov, in February 3355, after more than a decade of war. Background The deep causes leading up to the Southern Hemisphere War lie in the 25th century colonization of Dovani by Sekowo, which established a large colonial empire ideologically justified by the Deydono Doctrine. In time, that foreign policy doctrine materialized in the Dovani for the Dovanians and its successor, the Dovani Territorial Defence Organization. These treaties would eventually lose their relevance, as non-Dovani nations came to establish their own colonial possessions on the continent. With the end of the Talmorian Civil War, Zardugal established a foothold in Dovani in 2787, which expanded greatly with the purchase of Orléans and Vasser from Lourenne and Medina from Sekowo. This expansion was not without its contestants, with the governments of Lourenne and Sekowo, and various Pan-Dovanist organizations campaigning against them. More immediately, the causes of the Great Dovani War can be found in the establishment of the militarist and Gao-Showan ultra-nationalist regime of the Mingzhi Dynasty in Indrala, following the Blue Lotus Rebellion, which needed to consolidate its legitimacy, and the establishment of Zardugal as a major Terran power, following the contemporary Great Majatran War. Zardugal withdraws from colonies After the participation in the Great Majatran War, Zardugal needed to begin to reconstruct her war-ravaged economy. In July 3343, the President of the Federation of Zardugal, Fransisco DiGama announced that Zardugal would pull her armed forces out of all Zardic overseas possessions, which would limit the military expenses of the Zardic government. By the end of the year, Zardugal's military presence in the colonies had been reduced significantly. Attack on Skara Brae Taking advantage of the relative defenselessness of Zardugal's colonies, Indrala took the decision to begin a war against Zardugal. On the 7th of November 3343, an Indralan air squadron launched a surprise attack on the Zardic fleet located in Skara Brae, in Saqueya. The attack severely damaged Zardugal's naval capabilities, preventing Zardugal from sending forces to defend the colonies. Invasion of Dovani Indrala began the invasion of the Federated States of Dovani on the same day as the surprise attack. Encountering little resistance, Indrala's armies advanced rapidly, occupying all of Hanzen and about half of Orléans by October 3344. War grows As the Indralan forces were advancing through South Dovani, Zardugal was preparing its economy for war, rebuilding the fleet destroyed at Skara Brae. In the meantime, several paramilitary and international organizations became involved in the conflict, most on the side of Indrala, most notably the Brotherhood of Terror and Virtue, the Barmenian Crusaders, or the Claws of Freedom, as well as paramilitaries from Beiteynu. In May 3345, Kalopia, who declared war a few months earlier, landed her troops in Medina, with the goal of joining with Indrala's forces in the colony of Vasser. Blockade and Bombing of Indrala In January 3346, Zardugal established a blockade around South Dovani, in order to prevent Indrala from supplying her forces on the mainland, and at the same time began a bombing campaign against the Indralan homeland and the colony of Jinlian. Zardugal's objectives, at this stage of the war, were to strangle Indrala's forces on the mainland and thus force their surrender, while avoiding direct military engagements against Indralan armies in South Dovani. Invasion of Indrala By September 3346, all of the Federated States of Dovani had been occupied by Indrala and her allies. Alarmed by the expansion of Indrala at the expense of Zardugal's colonies, Zardugal's ally, Luthori, openly declared war on Indrala in January 3347. In July the same year, Dorvik launched a surprise attack against Indrala, and, in conjunction with Luthori troops, began the invasion of the Indralan homeland itself, taking advantage of the fact that the bulk of Indrala's troops was on the mainland, and under blockade. Jinlian Campaign As Luthori was advancing through Min and Dorvik was advancing through Anle and Jiaozhi, Zardugal decided to abandon their policy of avoiding direct engagements with Indralan forces, and began the invasion of Jinlian. On the 28th of May, 3348, Zardugal's forces landed in the South-East of the colony. Having successfully landed and established their positions on the beaches, Zardugal's forces began advancing towards the Luthori border, with the stated objective of later swinging north to link with Dorvish forces in the north of the colony, before proceeding to engage Indralan forces occupying the colonies. On August 15, 3348, Zardic forces, advancing towards the Luthori border, incurred a massive defeat on Indralan forces defending Jinlian, near the village of Hồng Lâm. Using artillery to their advantage, Zardugal's invasion force defeated Indrala's forces, incurring heavy damage. In the following days, Zardugal occupied Indralan supply depots, command posts and airfields, quickly linking with Luthori troops. All troops caught in between were forced to surrender. The Zardic invasion forces then turned north, hoping to quickly overrun the colony and to envelop as many defenders as possible. As Zardugal advanced, Indralan troops were seemingly on the run, until Zardic forces reached the city of Trung Thôn on September 10 3348. The city had significant strategic value, allowing for control of the highway towards the north of the colony. Initially, Indralan forces seemed to be on the defensive at Trung Thôn as well, allowing Zardic troops to quickly occupy the outskirts. However, Indralan troops were prepared for the Zardic assault. Taking advantage of the mountainous terrain of the city, which was well suited for ambushes and mortar bombardment on Zardic troops advancing on lower ground, the Indralan forces were able to reject the first waves of attack. After several attempts to advance, Zardugal's army began to retreat. However, the Indralan forces gave chase, and, assisted by guerrilla fighers in the nearby mountains, inflicted heavy casualties. The defeat at Trung Thôn delayed the occupation of the colony, and determined Zardugal to pursue a different strategy. Because Indrala's troops were using the tropical climate of Jinlian to their advantage, conducting military operations only when air support was hard or impossible to give, Zardugal decided to proceed with more caution. From that point on, Zardugal's invasion force avoided direct assaults on strategic sites, preferring instead to bypass and isolate them. On September 6 3349, the Zardic troops began a second siege of Trung Thôn, this time avoiding direct assaults. In December 3349, the city surrendered after a several month long siege, thus opening the highway to the north of the colony. By this point, Indralan defenses in Jinlian had been reduced to about half the number before the invasion. By February 3350, all of Jinlian was occupied by Zardic troops. Indrala surrenders With Luthori and Dorvik engaged in the invasion of the Indralan homeland since July 3347, and with most of Indrala's forces concentrated on the continent, the invading forces meet little resistance. After the sixteen day battle of Tian'an, the Indralan capital was occupied in August 3349 by Dorvish forces. That same month, almost the entire island was brought under Luthori and Dorvish occupation. The government of Indrala was thus forced to surrender unconditionally to Luthori, Dorvik, and Zardugal in November 3349. This lead to the temporary cessation of hostilities in Dovani, as a peace treaty was expected to be signed shortly. In May 3350, however, the Armed Forces of Indrala on the continent declared their will to continue the war against Zardugal, and thus hostilities in Dovani resumed. Beiteynu invades Temania Taking advantage of the fact that Luthori and Zardic troops were engaged in combat against Indrala in South Dovani, the Yeudish Kingdom of Beiteynu declared war on Zardugal and Luthori, and began the invasion of New Alduria on the continent of Temania in July 3349. Colonial revolts against Indrala On the 16th of July 3348, the former Federated States of Dovani were proclaimed independent by the Indralan occupying forces, and immediately declared war on Zardugal. Being considered puppet states, these states received limited diplomatic recognition. Support for the Indralan occupation was also very limited among the citizens of the South Dovani states, owing to the numerous alleged atrocities committed by the occupation forces, and to the fact that real power was concentrated in the hands of the Indralan armies, not the civilian governments. As a result, the population of the colonies, who had initially greeted Indralan troops as liberators, became engaged in numerous revolts against Indrala throughout the war. Jelbanian front opens In September 3349, Jelbania, a traditional ally of Indrala, declared it would be mobilizing forces in support of Indrala. On the same day, Zardugal declared war on Jelbania, and began an invasion of Jelbania. Although Zardic armies seemed to make significant gains, that had been part of Jelbania's strategy. In October 3349, the Jelbanian Fifth Army stonewalled the Zardic advance with a surprise counter strike on their vulnerable flank. By the end of the year, the situation on the Jelbanian front stabilized, with minor victories on both sides. Due to the surrender of Indrala in November 3349, Zardugal proceeded to withdraw forces from the Dovani front in order to reinforce their forces fighting against Jelbania. The reinforcement of Zardic troops did little to change the balance on the Jelbanian front, which remained stable throughout 3350. Invasion of Zardugal In 3349, the Zardic Congress decided to seize all Badaran assets within Zardugal, without compensation. Consequently, Telamon, who had ties with Badara due to the marriage of Chaz Al-e-Ahmad, first son and heir of Royal Chairman of the Socialist Sultanates Jalal Al-e-Ahmad and Princess Anna Kansar-Flagger, niece of the High King, decided to declare war on Zardugal. In February 3351, a secret motion to declare war on Zardugal was voted on by the Telamonese parliament. With Telamonese troops moving throughout military bases towards Majatra, Telamon's military budget was increased in preparation for war. In June 3351, Telamon's ground troops landed in Jelbania, and the navy established a blockade on the Zardic coast, and began bombarding cities on the Zardic shoreline with gunfire and missiles. As Telamonese and Jelbanian troops began advancing on Zardugal, Zardic troops began retreating by September 3351. In October, Jelbania and Telamon began the invasion of Zardugal. By the end of the year, the Telamonese blockade was broken by the Zardic Navy, and the Royal Fleet retreated north to meet with a Jelbanian flotilla dispatched to aid them. Zardic forces were overwhelmed after fierce fighting in Endirahad and northern Unkassa, with the southern line remaining relatively unchanged. With the risk of the entire Zardic homeland being under occupation, Zardugal's leadership called for a ceasefire in December 3352. At the same time, tensions between Zardugal and her Luthori allies, caused by disagreements about the post-war division of colonies, prompted the Holy Luthori Empire to consider declaring war on Zardugal. Due to this factor, the Telamonese and Jelbanian forces rejected the ceasefire offer, and in January 3352, Telamon launched Operation Badaran Fury, a coordinated effort to mass troops (particularly armor) in the center of the front line and push further south into the Unkassa region, in an attempt to flank Zardic soldiers in Ingomu. In March 3352, the abandoned Zardic capital of Belgae was occupied by Jelbania, soon after followed by the occupation of the entire state of Enhirahad. On the most eastern portion of the front line, the Third Army Group under General Lindsay Drake, spearheaded by the Sixth Army launched Operation Cartwheel to remove remaining Zardic forces from Jelbania, while working in tandem with the Telamonese Operation Badaran Fury. Zardugal Surrenders In November 14th 3352, with Zardugal likely to be completely occupied by Zardic and Jelbanian forces, Zardic president Disraeli issued an official call for armistice, offering several negotiation points. The armistice suggestions were accepted by Jelbania, Telamon, and Indrala, who had recently redeclared war on Zardugal. Peace process The armistice continued throughout 3353, with neither side agreeing on a location for hosting the peace conference. All participants eventually agreed on Port Tackstov, Iliathar in neutral Beluzia. The peace conference of Beluzia lasted from October 3354 to February 3355. Beiteynu, Kalopia, and Jelbania eventually left the conference, believing that their interests were being ignored. Beiteynu, backed by Kalopia, had wanted ownership of Temania, to which it had claims due to Temania being the starting point of the Qedarite Migrations. Jelbania wanted a drastic limitation of the Zardic defense budget, and a demilitarized border. The final version of the Peace Treaty of Port Tackstov mandated Zardugal and Indrala to pay the full cost of the war reparations (75% Zardugal, 25% Indrala), granted independence to the South Dovani states and to Temania and Tropica, under Indralan, Dorvish, and Luthori oversight, mandated a restitution of Badaran assets, and demanded a complete withdrawal of all invading forces. The treaty was signed by all participants, with the exception of Jelbania, Kalopia, and Beiteynu, in February 3355. Jelbania eventually adopted the treaty in July 3363. Aftermath The Southern Hemisphere war cost the lives of xxx million, including xxx civilians. The economies of Indrala, Zardugal, and the former colonies were ravaged by the war, with the destruction of infrastructure and loss of human lives. The war also put an end to the centuries long Zardic colonial empire. Following this war, Zardugal lost her position as the most powerful republic of Terra. Zardugal also lost her hegemony over Majatra, won after the Great Majatran War, being replaced by Jelbania in this role. Although Indrala was occupied, and was on the verge of losing the war entirely, the granting of oversight for the decolonization of South Dovani granted her a dominant position on the continent. The creation of the State of Kimlien, Hanzen Republic, Federation of Utembo, and State of Medina as Indralan client state established Indrala as the leading nation of decolonization movements, vindicating the pan-Gao-Showan ideology of the Mingzhi Dynasty. Just a year after the end of the Southern Hemisphere war, a colonial revolt in the Great North Dovani Plain determined Kazulia to grant control of that colony to Indrala, who reorganized it as Utari Mosir. In the longer run, the war proved to be a catalyst for nationalist and radical movements throughout Terra, showing that revisionist states have a chance at victory. Within years, the Congress for Liberty, the major international supporter of Zardugal, became largely discredited as an efficient organization. In the meantime, parties and movements supportive of the Brotherhood of Terror and Virtue developed in several other nations. In 3368, a Brotherhood affiliated coup removed the Ishidas from power, and installed a Gao-Showan ultranationalist regime, inspired by the Mingzhi Dynasty. Category:Wars, civil wars and conflicts Category:Zardugal Category:Luthori Category:Telamon Category:History of Dorvik Category:Jelbania Category:Dovani Category:History of Majatra Category:History of Dovani Category:History of Indrala Category:Kimlien